Cheboygan County, Michigan
A shallow water table limits basements on 44% of Cheboygan County's mapped land, a higher share than 61% of US counties. Shrink-swell clay limits houses without basements on 2%.
12.6% of the county is in drought on the October 13, 2026 Drought Monitor map. FEMA's flood data list 33 flood losses here since 2016, 0% of them in buildings with basements. 50% of homes were built before 1980, against 50% nationally; the median home dates from 1980.
Data as of October 13, 2026 · sources
expansive clay: shrink-swell limits slab homes
high water table: limits basements
in drought, October 13, 2026
of homes built before 1980
Soil under Cheboygan County
| Expansive clay (limits slab homes) | 2.3% |
| High water table (limits basements) | 44.1% |
| Septic fields very limited | 89.1% |
| Clay swell (LEP, by area) | 1.6% |
| High-swell land (LEP 6%+) | 2.8% |
| Mapped soil | 510,394 acres |
| Soil series | Share here | Series nationally: high water table |
|---|---|---|
| Rubicon | 12% | n/a |
| Cheboygan | 10% | n/a |
| Blue Lake | 7% | n/a |
| Kalkaska | 6% | n/a |
| Tawas | 5% | n/a |
| Roscommon | 5% | n/a |
How we count · survey areas MI031 (2025-09-03)
What the numbers mean here
On 44% of Cheboygan County's mapped land, soil stays saturated within about 6 feet of the surface for part of the year, which is basement depth.
Rain over the 12 months to August 2026: 37.69 in, 6.18 in above the 1991-2020 average year of 31.51 in.
USDA rates 89% of the land very limited for septic absorption fields.
Drought
12.6% of the county is in drought (D1 or worse) on the October 13, 2026 map. Part of the county was in drought in 2 of the last 52 weeks; the most was 12.6% of its area, in 2 weeks, most recently on the October 13, 2026 map.
| Category, October 13, 2026 | Share of county |
|---|---|
| D0 abnormally dry or worse | 97.9% |
| D1 moderate drought or worse | 12.6% |
| D2 severe or worse | 0% |
| D3 extreme or worse | 0% |
| D4 exceptional | 0% |
Flood losses since 2016
33 flood losses since 2016, $1.7 million paid. The worst year was 2026, with 32. Foundations of the buildings, where recorded: 33% slabs, 61% crawl spaces, 6% elevated. Median water depth outside the building: 19.5 in.
| Year | Flood losses |
|---|---|
| 2016 | 0 |
| 2017 | 0 |
| 2018 | 1 |
| 2019 | 0 |
| 2020 | 0 |
| 2021 | 0 |
| 2022 | 0 |
| 2023 | 0 |
| 2024 | 0 |
| 2025 | 0 |
| 2026 to date | 32 |
Rain
| Average year, 1991-2020 | 31.51 in |
| 12 months to August 2026 | 37.69 in (+6.18) |
| 2025 | 33.53 in (+2.02) |
| Wettest year since 1895 | 1900: 39.66 in |
| Driest year since 1895 | 1925: 19.24 in |
| Days with 1 inch or more, normal at CHEBOYGAN (12 mi away) | 4.9 |
Homes
| Housing units | 17,788 |
| Median year built | 1980 |
| Built before 1980 | 50% |
| Built 2000 or later | 20% |
| Owner-occupied | 86% |
| Median value, owner-occupied | $192,500 |
| Single-family detached | 86% |
What repairs cost
Published ranges from cost guides, not quotes. More sources, and where they disagree.
Nearby counties
| Place | Distance | Expansive clay | High water table |
|---|---|---|---|
| Emmet County, MI | 25 mi | under 1% | 23% |
| Otsego County, MI | 32 mi | under 1% | 21% |
| Montmorency County, MI | 36 mi | 2% | 36% |
| Antrim County, MI | 46 mi | under 1% | 16% |
| Charlevoix County, MI | 52 mi | under 1% | 25% |
| Presque Isle County, MI | 54 mi | 1% | 53% |
| Crawford County, MI | 55 mi | under 1% | 19% |
| Oscoda County, MI | 57 mi | 4% | 21% |
Sources: USDA SSURGO (September 3, 2025) · US Drought Monitor (October 13, 2026) · FEMA NFIP v3 (September 9, 2026) · NOAA (August 2026) · Census ACS 2020-2024. Methods · Data status